These are all phrases which are condescending, smug, and emotionally detached.
Saying “fuck you” is not condescending or smug, it’s an expression of emotional anger.
Replace any of these phrases with fuck you and the meaning of what you are saying is completely changing.
So I don’t agree that this post makes sense. It’s straight up incorrect. It’s a complete misinterpretation of the English language.
I’m agreeing with you, but I don’t think the phrases have to be condescending, smug or detached?
They surely point to a disagreement, but can’t they be used from such a position in a genuine capacity without implying the person is being condescending or smug about it?
Of course it’s easy to see how when those things are said to you, they may be perceived as smug or condescending, because the other person doesn’t want to agree with you. But that doesn’t necessarily make them so.
Not a native English speaker though, so genuinely curious about the nuances here.
‘Bless your heart’ is distilled condescension.
I wrote a thing not fully reading the title, and now I have realized I didn’t understand the vibe of your comment. Agree 10/10.
You do you /s
I say “you do you” more in the sense that whatever they are doing or going to do is not something I would do. It certainly isn’t a “fuck you”. It can definitely have some snark like “everything you just said is fucking stupid, but you do you”. But the tone is meant to convey that I’m not going to put any further effort into convincing them.
“As per my previous email”
My favorite professional fuck you is “… Help me understand.” in response to some dumbass shit they just said.
None of those are “fuck you”, they’re more or less all variants of “I think you’re making a mistake”. Mixing them up is, well, you do you, and good luck with that.
Bold move, Cotton.
May your day be as pleasant as you are.
Funnily enough, this works at both ends of the scale.
I use “good luck with that,” when I’ve been asked advice on a topic I’m knowledgeable in and they decide to go against my advice. It’s not “fuck you,” but it is “I told you so” in advance.
“hey, I need help with that thing I talked to you about”
“my hourly rate just went up 4x, what can I do for you”
E: like this
“Bless your heart” is not only “Fuck you” but “You’re the stupidest fuck I’ve seen all day.”
It’s very useful, highly recommend.
Only bless your heart can be interpreted as Fuck You but it and all the others are traditionally translated as :
Fucking moron.
I think it’s a mistranslation from French.
My favourite alternative to fuck you is jog on.
Do one mate
How british! I approve
After being cut off by some jackass while driving: 👍
Gotta pair it with a shit eating grin.
That’s why you gotta drive a beater. Hit em with a little one-two pit maneuver. Assert your dominance.
When I have to provide technical support to a true dunce:
“The answer to that question can be found in a cursory examination of the documentation.”
When I’m chairing a meeting and one guy just won’t shut up:
“Thank you very much for that valuable contribution to the discussion, we will certainly take it under advisement. Now moving on to the next topic.”
And here’s one that I use when I need to tell a SO/GO/FO:
“Sir, that COA is beyond the scope of implementation for the currently available resources.”
“Bless your heart”
“The fuck you just say to me!?”
None. There are a lot of shades of gray between ‘I love you’ and ‘I hate you’.
Profound
